Hello there! Today’s recipe is a delicious and easy side dish that full of flavour! It’s a savoury gratin that showcases cauliflower.

Cauliflower florets are covered with a homemade garlic rosemary cheese sauce and then sprinkled with a cheddar and breadcrumb mix for the topping.

Once baked, the florets are tender and completely coated with the creamy sauce and the topping is golden-brown and crunchy.

It’s a satisfyingly scrumptious dish that the whole family will love! I hope you enjoy this recipe for Easy Cheddar Cauliflower Gratin!

How do you make this gratin recipe?

(Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions available in the recipe card down below)

Grated cheddar cheese just added to white sauce in a saucepan with a whisk.

Make the cheese sauce by melting butter and whisking in flour (to create a roux). Then stir in the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Finally, add the cheese and whisk until a creamy sauce forms.

Important Tip: Prepare all the sauce ingredients (measuring, chopping, and grating) first before starting to make the sauce as the process is quick.

A wooden spoon with a coat of cheese sauce over saucepan of the same sauce.

How do you know the sauce is ready? The sauce will be creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

A casserole dish with raw cauliflower florets and cheese white sauce in it.

Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower florets that were placed evenly in a 8×10 casserole dish.

A quick note: Give the casserole dish a gentle shake side-to-side to evenly distribute the sauce. It’s okay if you don’t completely cover the tops of every cauliflower floret.

Cauliflower gratin with breadcrumbs in a casserole dish ready to be baked.

Top with the cheese and panko breadcrumb topping.

Baked cauliflower gratin with a crunchy panko topping in a black casserole dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and then bake for another 20-25 minutes until golden-brown on top. Enjoy!

A scoop of cauliflower gratin taken out of the casserole dish.

Here are four more easy baked side dish recipes.

In all, this cheddar cauliflower gratin is:

Tasty: Baked cauliflower covered with a simple cheese sauce and topped with panko breadcrumbs is one yummy dish.
Texture-rich: Tender cauliflower, creamy cheese sauce, and a crunchy panko topping all goes well together.
Uncomplicated to make: Just a few easy-to-follow steps to make this gratin side dish. Most of the time is spent waiting for the gratin to bake in the oven.
Uses simple ingredients: This recipe uses pantry staples or ingredients that you can find at most grocery stores.
Vegetarian too.

A side view of a hearty scoop of cauliflower gratin on a white plate.

Did you make this easy cauliflower gratin recipe? Leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I’m @yay_for_food on Instagram. Please share your recipe pictures!

Easy Cheddar Cauliflower Gratin

Name: Easy Cheddar Cauliflower Gratin
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb small cauliflower florets (similar size); 2 tbsp (1 oz) unsalted butter; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1½ cups milk (I used 2%); 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped; 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated; Salt and pepper, to taste; ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs); ½ cup sharp cheddar

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Looking for an easy vegetable side dish with delicious, creamy cheese and a crunchy topping? This cheddar cauliflower gratin recipe has got you covered.

Ingredients

For the vegetable:

1 lb small cauliflower florets (similar size)

For the sauce:

2 tbsp (1 oz) unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1½ cups milk (I used 2%)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the topping:

½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
½ cup sharp cheddar

Instructions

For the vegetable: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets in an 8x10 casserole dish. Set aside.
For the sauce: In a small saucepan at medium heat, melt the butter, and then whisk in the flour until it is incorporated into the butter. Decrease the heat to medium-low.
While whisking, slowly pour in the milk until the mixture is well-combined. Then stir in the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper and whisk for another minute.
Add in the cheddar cheese. Whisk until the sauce thickens into a creamy, smooth sauce (it coats the back of a wooden spoon). Remove from heat. Pour the sauce evenly over the cauliflower.
For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and cheddar together, then evenly sprinkle the cauliflower dish with it.
Bake it: Cover the cauliflower gratin with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and then bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden-brown. Best served immediately.

Notes

Nutritional calories represent one serving for a total of six servings.

Recommended Products

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, I only link to products that I use and/or highly recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases if you purchase through these links at no additional cost to you.

1-Quart Saucepan

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 362Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 554mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 19g

Nutritional values are estimated based on the ingredients used by the author; your ingredients may differ. These values are calculated using Nutritionix.